The present invention relates in general to automatic pistols having automatic safety on their firing pin, and in particular to a new and useful device for the automatic return to rest or to an inoperative position of the striking mechanism for the hammer of such a pistol.
In the field of safety devices for automatic pistols, automatic safety devices are known for the firing pin of the weapon. These safety devices are capable of preventing the operation of the pin and thus the firing of a bullet from the barrel of the weapon, as a result of an accidental dropping of the weapon and/or of an involuntary and uncontrolled action of the hammer on the firing pin itself. Such a device comprises a safety block mounted on the breech block of the firing pin of the pistol (hereinafter called the carriage) in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the firing pin and in an intercepting and blocking position of the firing pin, when the trigger is at rest. The safety block is normally in a working position for blocking the firing pin and is displaced to the rest or inoperative position for freeing the firing pin, only at the moment when the hammer is disengaged by the trigger.
Another known safety device, which is the subject of a patent issued to the present applicant, concerns automatic pistols of the type having a so-called "interrupted firing pin". This device comprises a safety shaft or rod, which is manually operative and interacting with the firing pin so as to neutralize the action thereof. The safety shaft or rod also interacts through the action of an intermediate lever, with a trip lever of the hammer, so as to automatically disengage the hammer immediately following the neutralization of the firing pin. The firing pin is blocked by two elements, a spring-actuated frontal one and a rear one that is mounted on the safety shaft or rod and which is positionable by their axially or non-axially with respect to the frontal element mentioned above, in order to activate and, respectfully neutralize the firing pin.
According to the known art and technique, the safety shaft and rod is rotated on the breech block and is mounted in a direction which is transverse to the firing pin. Further, it is provided with a cammed portion which controls the intermediate lever that is interacting with the tripped lever for the automatic disengagement of the hammer, when the shaft or rod is rotated to neutralize the action of the interrupted firing pin.
In practice, the safety rod or shaft must be displaced manually, and therefore, voluntarily, by means of a control lever both in the working position and in the rest position, which positions are determined and defined by at least one spring spring-loaded lever means. According to the above described arrangement, the safety shaft rod, when in the safety working position, may control a small spring loaded piston that interacts with the tripping mechanism connected to the trigger which actuates the trip lever of the hammer.
The tripping mechanism is then moved away from the trip lever, so as to avoid the posibility that the user might act on the tripping mechanism when the weapon is in the safety position.
A pistol may now be provided, concurrently, with the automatic safety blocking mechanism on the firing pin and with an automatic disengaging device for the hammer when the weapon is in its safety position. Under these circumstances, since the automatic safety blocking device on the firing pin is always operative until the trigger is acted upon, it is no longer necessary to also have a manually operated safety device or some means for moving the trigger mechanism away from the trip lever.
There remains, nevertheless, the need for means for the disengagement and the striking of the hammer, when the weapon is not to be used. These means for the disengagment of the hammer should, however, return automatically, after each action thereof, to a rest position corresponding to the position of readiness to fire the weapon. This is necessary in order not to impede or delay immediate reuse of the pistol without any manual intervention.